Water Collection System for a Pickup Truck

ABSTRACT

A pickup truck rear end assembly is provided. The assembly may include a truck bed, a truck box, and a bumper. The truck box may be mounted to the bed and define a cavity therein. The bumper may define a reservoir, a reservoir inlet port open to the cavity, and a reservoir outlet port accessible from an exterior of the vehicle. The cavity and reservoir may be arranged with one another such that water entering the cavity passes through to the reservoir via the inlet port. The truck bed may define a gutter adjacent to the inlet port and arranged with the inlet port to direct water thereto. A strainer may be disposed within the inlet port. A filter may be disposed between the inlet port and reservoir.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to pickup truck assemblies and systems tocollect liquids such as water.

BACKGROUND

Pickup trucks are motor vehicles with a front passenger area, oftenreferred to as a cab, and an open top rear cargo area, often referred toas a box. The box usually has a substantially flat bed from which twoside body panels and a forward interconnecting header extend upwardlytherefrom. Pickup trucks may also employ a bottom hinged door, commonlyreferred to as a tailgate, hinged at the rear edge of the bed andclosable to provide a fourth wall for the cargo area. Cabs and boxes maybe separate assemblies or part of the same unibody structure. Pickuptrucks are popular largely because the box allows them to be utilized inmany different ways, including carrying a variety of types of cargo andtowing various types of trailers.

SUMMARY

A pickup truck rear end assembly includes a truck bed, a truck box, anda bumper. The truck box is mounted to the bed and defines a cavitytherein. The bumper defines a reservoir, a reservoir inlet port open tothe cavity, and a reservoir outlet port accessible from an exterior ofthe truck. The cavity and reservoir are arranged with one another suchthat water entering the cavity passes through to the reservoir via theinlet port. The truck bed may define a gutter adjacent to the inlet portand arranged with the inlet port to direct water thereto. A strainer maybe disposed within the inlet port. A filter may be disposed between theinlet port and reservoir. The assembly may include a sensor disposedwithin the reservoir and in communication with a controller to monitoran amount of water within the reservoir. An air relief outlet may beopen to the reservoir. A valve may be included at the outlet port toselectively control an amount of water discharge from the reservoir.

A water collection system for a pickup truck includes a truck frame, atruck bed, a truck box, and a container. The truck bed is mounted to thetruck frame and defines a bed outlet port at a rear of the truck bed.The truck box is mounted to the truck bed and defines a cavity open toreceive water. The container is disposed at a rear end of the truck,beneath the truck bed, and defines container inlet port in fluidcommunication with the cavity via the bed outlet port and an exhaustport. The cavity and container are arranged with one another such thatwater entering the cavity passes through to the container via the bedoutlet port. The water collection system may include a valve at theexhaust port to selectively release water contained within thecontainer. A water filtration system may be disposed between the bedoutlet port and the container. The water filtration system may include afilter concealed by one of a fascia or a bumper. The truck bed mayfurther define another bed outlet port spaced apart from the bed outletport such that the bed outlet ports are at opposite ends of the truckbed. The truck bed may be formed such that gravity directs watercontacting the truck bed toward the bed outlet port. The container maybe mounted to the pickup truck rearward of a rear wheel.

A pickup truck includes a truck bed, a truck box, a storage tank, and awater filtration system. The truck box is mounted to the truck bed anddefines a cavity. The storage tank has a valve arranged to controlrelease of liquid received within the cavity into the storage tank. Thewater filtration system is disposed between, and in fluid communicationwith, the cavity and storage tank. Walls of the storage tank may bedefined by a bumper. The water filtration system may include a strainerat a pass-through open to the cavity and a filter downstream of thepass-through. An air relief valve may be open to the storage tank. Thestorage tank may be mounted at a location on the truck adjacent a rearbumper of the truck. The storage tank may be arranged with the truck bedsuch that water stored within the storage tank dissipates energy from arear impact with the truck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a vehicle with an overlaid illustrative portionshowing a portion of a water collection system.

FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the vehicle of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a partial rear view of the vehicle of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a partial top view of the vehicle of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an example of a pickup truck box and aportion of a water collection system.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of an example of a portion of a watercollection system for a pickup truck box.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to beunderstood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examplesand other embodiments may take various and alternative forms. Thefigures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggeratedor minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the presentdisclosure. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand,various features illustrated and described with reference to any one ofthe figures may be combined with features illustrated in one or moreother figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustratedor described. The combinations of features illustrated providerepresentative embodiments for typical applications. Variouscombinations and modifications of the features consistent with theteachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particularapplications or implementations.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an example of a vehicle 10 is shown whichmay include a cabin 12 and a truck box 14 supported by a vehicle chassis(not shown). The vehicle 10 may be, for example, a pickup truck. Thetruck box 14 includes a bed 16 having a forward end adjacent to thecabin 12 and a rear end opposite the forward end. The bed 16 supports aheader 18 at the forward end and a tailgate 20 at the rear end. Thetailgate 20 is mounted to the bed 16 for rotation. The bed 16 may alsosupport a first body side panel 22 and a second body side panel 23. Inthis example, the vehicle 10 may include an A-pillar region 24 a, aB-pillar region 24 b, a C-pillar region 24 c, and a D-pillar region 24d. The illustrated vehicle 10 is a four door configuration; howeverother configurations, such as a two door configuration, may be adoptedto incorporate the disclosed concepts. Alternate configurations mayinclude different pillar region references than as described for thevehicle 10. The first body side panel 22 and the second body side panel23 may be secured to the header 18 at respective regions referred to asforward box pillar regions of the truck box 14 or the C-pillar regions24 c herein. The first body side panel 22 and the second body side panel23 may each include fascia portions. The tailgate 20 rotates from atleast an open position to a closed position. In the closed position asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each lateral end of the tailgate 20 may beremovably attached to the first body side panel 22 and the second bodyside panel 23 at respective regions referred to as rear box pillarregions or the D-pillar regions 24 d herein. A bumper 30 is mounted tothe frame of the vehicle 10 and disposed at a rear of the vehicle 10.

A cavity may be defined by the truck box 14 and/or the bed 16. Forexample, the header 18, the tailgate 20, the first body side panel 22,the second body side panel 23, and the bed 16 may define a cavitytherebetween. The cavity may me open and may receive water under certainconditions, such as rain water.

Referring additionally to FIGS. 3 through 4, an example of a watercollection system is shown. The water collection system may include thecavity defined by the truck box 14 and/or the bed 16. The watercollection system may be mounted to a vehicle, such as the vehicle 10,and include a reservoir, container or tank. For example, the bumper 30may define a reservoir 34 therein. Alternatively, a container may bemounted to the vehicle 10 adjacent the bumper 30. One or more ports 40provide fluid communication between the cavity and the reservoir 34. Forexample, the bed 16 may define ports in substantial registration withother ports defined by the bumper 30 such that water may pass from thecavity to the reservoir 34. Water stored within the reservoir 34 mayalso assist in dissipating energy when the vehicle 10 receives a rearimpact. For example, the reservoir 34 may be arranged with the truck bed16 such that water stored within the reservoir 34 is at a location onthe vehicle 10 to dissipate energy from a rear impact with the vehicle10.

The water collection system may also include a filtration system and adistribution system. For example, the filtration system may include astrainer 44 and a filter 46. The strainer 44 may be mounted at one ofthe one or more ports 40 to assist in preventing debris from enteringthe reservoir 34. It is contemplated that additional components, such asa second strainer may be used with the system to assist in preventingdebris from entering the reservoir. For example, the second strainer maybe structured to prevent small debris, such as insects, from enteringthe reservoir 34. The filter 46 may be downstream of the one or moreports 40 and assist in filtering water passing therethrough. The filter46 may be accessible for cleaning and replacement purposes. For example,one of the one or more ports 40 may be open to the filter 46. Thefiltration system may operate to cleanse water prior to entering to thereservoir 34 via a port 48.

The distribution system may be in fluid communication with the reservoir34 and the filtration system and may include an outlet 50 and a valvecontrol 52. The valve control 52 may selectively control output ofliquid from the reservoir 34 via the outlet 50. For example, waterstored within the reservoir 34 may be used to wash the vehicle 10, towater a garden, or other similar applications.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a schematic example of a truck box, such as truck box14, and a water collection system as described above. In this example,the truck bed 16 is shown defining a gutter 70. The gutter 70 may beformed to influence a flow of liquid toward the one or more ports 40. Anair relief pipe 74 may be open to the reservoir 34 and include a screento prevent entrance therein. The air relief pipe 74 may assist inpreventing undesirable pressure within the reservoir 34. A sensor 76 maybe disposed within the reservoir 34 to identify an amount of liquidtherein. The sensor 76 may, for example, be in communication with acontroller (not shown) and a indicia located in, for example, thevehicle cabin 12 to monitor and output a signal indicating a water levelwithin the reservoir.

Water may enter the cavity of the truck box 14 and flow to the one ormore ports 40. In another example, the bed 16 may define gutters (notshown) extending along a base of the first body side panel 22 or thesecond body side panel 23. The one or more ports 40 may be insubstantial registration with the respective strainer 44 and/or thefilter 46. Water may flow through the strainers 44 and filter 46 enrouteto the reservoir 34 via the port 48. Water may then be dischargedthrough a port 78 and the outlet 50 as selectively controlled by thevalve control 52.

The words used in the specification are words of description rather thanlimitation, and it is understood that various changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Aspreviously described, the features of various embodiments may becombined to form further embodiments of the invention that may not beexplicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments couldhave been described as providing advantages or being preferred overother embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one ormore desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the artrecognize that one or more features or characteristics may becompromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which dependon the specific application and implementation. These attributes mayinclude, but are not limited to cost, strength, durability, life cyclecost, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability,weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. As such, embodimentsdescribed as less desirable than other embodiments or prior artimplementations with respect to one or more characteristics are notoutside the scope of the disclosure and may be desirable for particularapplications.

1. A pickup truck rear end assembly comprising: a truck bed; a truck boxmounted to the bed and defining a cavity therein; and a bumper defininga reservoir, a reservoir inlet port open to the cavity, and a reservoiroutlet port accessible from an exterior of the truck, wherein the cavityand reservoir are arranged with one another such that water entering thecavity passes through to the reservoir via the inlet port.
 2. Theassembly of claim 1, wherein the truck bed defines a gutter adjacent tothe inlet port and arranged with the inlet port to direct water thereto.3. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a strainer disposedwithin the inlet port.
 4. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising afilter disposed between the inlet port and reservoir.
 5. The assembly ofclaim 1, further comprising a sensor disposed within the reservoir andin communication with a controller to monitor an amount of water withinthe reservoir.
 6. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising an airrelief outlet open to the reservoir.
 7. The assembly of claim 1, furthercomprising a valve at the outlet port to selectively control an amountof water discharge from the reservoir.
 8. A pickup truck rear endassembly comprising: a truck frame; a truck bed mounted to the frame anddefining a bed outlet port at a rear of the bed; a truck box mounted tothe bed and defining a cavity open to receive water; and a containerdisposed at a rear end of the truck, beneath the bed, and defining acontainer inlet port in fluid communication with the cavity via the bedoutlet port and an exhaust port, wherein the cavity and container arearranged with one another such that water entering the cavity passesthrough to the container via the bed outlet port.
 9. The system of claim8, further comprising a valve at the exhaust port to selectively releasewater contained within the container.
 10. The system of claim 8, furthercomprising a water filtration system disposed between the bed outletport and the container.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the waterfiltration system comprises a filter concealed by one of a fascia or abumper.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the bed further definesanother bed outlet port spaced apart from the bed outlet port such thatthe bed outlet ports are at opposite ends of the truck bed.
 13. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the truck bed is formed such that gravitydirects water contacting the truck bed toward the bed outlet port. 14.The system of claim 8, wherein the container is mounted to the pickuptruck rearward of a rear wheel. 15-20. (canceled)